Time of the Hunt
by KhronosWolf
Summary: A young hunter of the Tauren people lays in wait for her prey - and then comes the thrill of the chase.


It would soon be time.

Kuanda slowly cast her eyes up towards the scorching summer sun, judging its position with no small amount of interest as it began to lazily sink towards the far horizon. It had been excruciatingly hot all day, driving most of Mulgore's creatures to find sparse shelter from the merciless rays which bore down heavily on them anywhere in the sprawling fields. Even now, many of them would be extremely reluctant to depart from what little protection they had managed to claim for themselves, but it had been a long, hot day, following on the heels of several other long, hot days. One by one, the growing need for water would begin to drive them from their holes and burrows and shade.

It would, in fact, drive them to one of the plains' scattered watering holes - very much like the one she sat in front of now.

Kuanda's skillful eyes swept across her environs for not the first time since she had first taken up her vigil in front of the pool some time ago, her gaze moving in practiced sweeps as she once again studied her surroundings. She had taken up her vigil in front of the pool - perfectly still the entire time, save for the occasional twitch of an ear or tail to shoo away an errant mosquito - some time ago, and though the skins of water attached to her belt allowed her far more endurance underneath the brutal summer sun than many of Mulgore's other creatures, she could still feel the strain she was placing herself under. If she succeeded, it would in the end be well worth the effort. If not, it would be a terrible waste of precious energy.

She was a young Tauren, having in fact only this spring passed the challenging Rites of her people in order to be considered both an adult and a true hunter. Yet, despite her age, her elders had long recognized that she possessed a patient cunning and keen understanding that was demonstrated by only very few of her peers, and strengthened by their confidence in her, Kuanda knew instinctively that she would not fail in this task. And so she continued to wait with the supreme patience which she had learned through carefully watching the Earth Mother's creatures. The hunter who did not properly bide their time lost the catch; this was something she had seen played out a dozen times over.

The temptation was there, of course, for her powerful muscles and agile body overflowed with the at times almost overwhelming raw power and sheer _vitality_ of youth. She struggled against the mighty compulsion to abandon the vigil which had thus far born no fruit, to rise and luxuriously stretch every part of her body before thundering across the plains with wild and glorious abandon. She longed for the thrill and rush of the chase, and every moment that passed, that longing grew a little bit more. But she knew. She knew that if she surrendered to such impulses, she would accomplish nothing more than tiring herself out with nothing to show for it; there would not even be a chase, for any potential prey would immediately make itself scarce.

Even worse, it would be a detriment not merely to her, but to her entire tribe. It would be the food of the tribe which she would have to rely upon to regain her strength, taking from the stores of her people without giving anything back in return. She had watched several of her peers bring shame upon themselves and their kinsmen with such...reprehensible _theft_,and far stronger than the temptation to be reckless was the raw determination that she would never steal from her people in such a manner. Perhaps once, it was understandable. But she and her peers were now adults and full-fledged hunters now. There were no more valid excuses for such shameful behavior.

It was about this time that Kuanda's thoughts were interrupted as her keen senses picked up the signs of movement in the tall grass some distance away from the watering hole. Immediately, all distractions vanished from her thoughts as her entire focus immediately shifted, her soul quivering with a growing anticipation even as she forced her body to remain perfectly still. For a moment, she was briefly confused as to why the signs of movement immediately vanished, but then swiftly realized that she was upwind from the creature. She could not smell it, but it could smell her. At this point, it might very well decide to bolt - a disappointing prospect, to be sure - or it might decide that its need for water outweighed the potential risk. Only time would tell.

And so she waited some more.

Finally, after what felt like enough time for the sun to move halfway across the sky, Kaunda heard the faintest of rustles, before finally a Plainstrider cautiously crept out from the cover of the grass some distance away. The large ostrich-like creature - though it was far more vicious and lizard-like than any ostrich you or I know - tilted its beaked head at Kuanda as it very carefully considered her, as one potential predator would consider it another. It was in this moment that the Tauren hunter tensed visibly, turning her head to fully stare back at the other creature, considering it in the same exact manner. Plainstriders could be extremely dangerous and at times unpredictable, and she didn't know yet whether it would attack her, or whether it would merely go for the water.

The staring contest between the two hunters continued for yet more time, neither one moving the slightest muscle as they sized each other up. Kuanda knew that if the Plainstrider made the first move, she would be hard-pressed to fend it off. The Plainstrider knew instinctively that even if (and it was very much an if) it were to win, it would be an extremely costly battle. Yet, there was also the risk that the large, powerfully-muscled creature it was staring at would make the first move, but then the creature's mind immediately discarded that risk, knowing instinctively that it could run far, far faster than the other predator. The distance between them also meant that even with the element of surprise, it could never catch up.

And so, the Plainstrider finally moved, first casting its beaked head back behind itself to know where it would be running to, and then glancing constantly at the other predator as it slowly but confidentially made its way to the watering hole. It felt perfectly secure in the knowledge that this creature could never catch up in time. And under ordinary circumstances, the conclusions drawn by the great bird's dim brain would have been entirely correct.

But Kuanda was a Tauren. They could not run like the Plainstrider, or crouch down and stalk unseen and unheard among the brush like the cougar, or even move together with the perfect unity like the wolves in their packs. No. Alongside and surpassing their immense physical strength and power, the Tauren had also been gifted by the Earthmother with the great knowledge of many of her most whispered secrets. She had shown them how to craft bows and guns which extended their reach far beyond their hands, how to create tents and houses as their own protection from the rain and the burning sun, how to use her herbs to create healing salves and potions to mend their wounds and ease their pain - and even, the more esoteric truths of the world.

No. These were not ordinary circumstances at all. For Kuanda...was a Druid.

Kuanda exploded into motion the moment that the Plainstrider finally dipped its beak to the water and began to drink, in the same movement forcing herself to her feet and into a powerful run. At five hundred pounds, she was massive compared to many other creatures, and her hooves thundered across the ground as she propelled herself forward. Her prey, meanwhile, squawked angrily as its drink was interrupted, and it immediately began to run back towards the cover of the tall grass. It could very easily keep ahead of its much, much slower and less agile predator. It could run far faster for far longer, and eventually the would-be hunter would tire itself out, would even leave itself open for a vicious counter-attack.

But the Tauren hunter was not playing a game she could not win. Mere seconds into her run, she gathered up all her power of both body and spirit, bunched up her legs like coils underneath her, and made a mighty, explosive leap forward that seemed to shake the very earth as she left it. And at the apex of her leap - gentle green lights played over her body, and she *changed*. Her entire body shifted with the hidden power of the Earthmother's secrets, and the now great hunting cat hit the ground thunderously on all fours, with far more agility and grace than she ever could have managed in her natural form.

She was already running the moment that her four feet touched the ground, her entire body rippling with sleek, powerful muscles as she relentlessly pursued the Plainstrider in the form of one of the Earthmother's greatest hunters. Intricate, tattooed designs traced across magnificent fur the color of rich obsidium, marking to all the origins of this mighty creature whose presence demanded the respect and attention of all others nearby.

And so the true chase began, with the Plainstrider running with a new desperation, squawking with furious anger as its dim thoughts failed to wrap around the sudden change in what it thought it knew only moments before. The secure knowledge that the creature which it had originally seen could never catch it was replaced by the stark terror of impending death, and it ran like it had never run before, its two legs carrying it lightly but swiftly across the plains. But behind it, the sound of a powerful predator thundering across the ground came closer and closer with each and every moment. As its lead increasingly diminished, it began to dart and weave with erratic desperation among the tall grass, trying to shake the great and terrible cat behind it - but to no avail.

Only seconds had passed since the chase first began, but to Kuanda it felt like these moments were stretching out into a glorious eternity. Her entire body and spirit sang with the pure, unadulterated exultation of the chase, her very existence melding with that sublime exhilaration of perfection. The very world stretched out before her, and the truth of eternity was laid before her eyes. And every passing moment, her spirit quickened yet further as she grew closer, closer, still ever closer to that final moment, the greatest music of the Earthmother rising to an impossible crescendo within every fiber of her being...

She leapt, and untold worlds were hers in that greatest of finales as her jaws closed around the Plainstrider's neck like a steel vice, intoxicatingly warm blood flowing into her mouth as the life swiftly drained from the creature. Already dead before it even realized it, the hunted creature struggled only little, its body weakly flopping in the grip of her jaws once or twice before going perfectly still.

Her catch was thus secured. The chase was over.


End file.
